Councils bid for funds to repair drought-hit roads

Five neighbouring councils have submitted a joint bid to the Department for Transport for extra cash to repair drought-damaged roads.

Lincolnshire County Council, Norfolk County Council, Suffolk County Council, Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council have identified hundreds of roads in need of urgent repairs.

The routes have been damaged by the official drought that has been in place since June last year.

The lack of moisture in the soil under the roads means it has shrunk, causing the surface to become uneven as cracks appear.

Lincolnshire alone has identified 150 areas where the roads are cracking.

Executive Member for Highways and Transportation, Councillor William Webb, said: “It makes real sense to work together with neighbouring local authorities that are also suffering with drought-damaged roads.

“Working within much reduced budgets, there is no money specifically available to address this problem, which is why we are making a direct bid to the Department for Transport. We want to do all we can to make sure the roads are as safe as possible for people to use.

“We are also currently working together to produce some consistent signage that can be put in place on problem roads, throughout the five counties, to help motorists take extra care in the meantime.”

Lincolnshire County Council received £5.35m following a similar bid back in 2004.

The latest multi-million pound bid is due to be submitted by the end of March.